Figure Out Where to Use Your Credit Card Rewards Points for Flights with This Free Online Tool
Posted on 11/22/2021, 7:00 PM
If you've racked up a bunch of air travel miles from a credit card or airline rewards program and you'd like to redeem them for an international flight, a free, new online tool from Nerdwallet is designed to help you maximize your points. According to the Nerdwallet website, the personal finance company's analysts have figured out that, often, "frequent flyer miles for a specific airline ... are ...
Will There Be an Airport Holiday Staffing Mess? The TSA Updates the Situation
Posted on 11/22/2021, 3:15 PM
The Biden administration has announced that 90% of the federal workers who were required to be vaccinated by November 22 have now received at least one dose. What's more, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) had an even higher rate of compliance: 93% of its staff has gotten the jab. Federal workers who remained unvaccinated were at risk of being removed from their posts. So I am happ...
What Does Marriott's Court Settlement Over Resort Fees Mean for Travelers?
Posted on 11/22/2021, 2:00 PM
As we've reported, the hotel giant Marriott was sued by the attorneys general of both Washington, DC, and Pennsylvania over deceptive resort fee practices. On November 19 a settlement was reached by the company and Pennsylvania, one that both parties are stating will make the hotel booking process far less opaque not just in that state, but across the USA. Pennsylvania's suit zeroed in on the way ...
Famous Thai Beach from Leonardo DiCaprio Movie Reopening After Three Years
Posted on 11/17/2021, 3:00 AM
Thailand's Maya Bay, the speck of paradise that played the title role in the Leonardo DiCaprio movie The Beach (2000), is reopening to tourists after a three-year-long closure. Government officials barred entry to the scenic scoop of sand abutting emerald waters on the island of Ko Phi Phi Leh in 2018, announcing that the overtouristed spot had become a victim of its own superstardom. At one poi...
This Thanksgiving Season's Busiest Airports—and When They'll Be Most Crowded
Posted on 11/16/2021, 1:00 PM
When should you get to the airport to fly home for Thanksgiving this year? A lot depends on which airport you'll be flying from. Which is why we're thankful for Hopper. The travel-booking app has released a granular and very helpful look at when major U.S. airports will be at their busiest—not just the days of the week but the times of day as well. Let's get the obvious out of the way first: As...
Float Over Dubai in the World’s Highest Infinity Pool with Wraparound Views
Posted on 11/16/2021, 12:00 AM
You can now take a soak while soaking in limitless views of Dubai's over-the-top skyline at a new infinity pool suspended more than 650 feet above the United Arab Emirates metropolis. Billed as the "world's highest 360-degree infinity pool," the Aura Skypool is now officially open on the 50th floor of the Palm Tower on Palm Jumeirah, the giant archipelago of manmade isles dotted with futuristic t...
New: A Literary Walking Tour of the Great Writers of Amherst, Massachusetts
Posted on 11/09/2021, 10:00 AM
Seeing as how Amherst, Massachusetts, produced Emily Dickinson, the Pioneer Valley college town's literary reputation is pretty solid already. But the most perceptive and inventive poet of 19th-century U.S. letters (fight me, Walt Whitman fans) isn't the only noteworthy author to have called Amherst home at one time or another. The UMass Public History Program and the Amherst Historical Commiss...
After 50 Years, England Reopens Train to Dartmoor, Delighting Campers
Posted on 11/08/2021, 10:00 AM
There's a reason most tourists to England stick to the country's cities and don't visit some of its most spectacular scenery: It's not easy to get to rural places anymore. Until the 1960s, many places in Great Britain, even the most sheep-filled and somnambulant villages, were served by some sort of train service, breathing life into every corner of the nation. But that changed in 1963, when Rich...
Which U.S. Airline Is Safest for Pets? Government Data Shows Top Dog
Posted on 11/02/2021, 3:00 PM
Each year, U.S.-based airlines transport hundreds of thousands of pets, and the vast majority of those dogs and cats reach their destinations with no trouble. When something goes wrong during air travel, the U.S. Department of Transportation requires carriers to report any losses, injuries, or deaths of animals—figures that are compiled by the government and made publicly available, along with inf...
Thailand Returns for Full Tourism with New, Easy-to-Follow Rules
Posted on 11/01/2021, 11:00 AM
Update: As of December 21, 2021, Thailand has temporarily brought back mandatory quarantine for tourists again.For the first time since near the start of the global pandemic, Thailand is reopen to tourists. Yeah, it's been a while. Remember Thailand? Unbelievable food? Friendly and outgoing people? Secret beaches? Resorts and ruins (like Ayutthaya, pictured above) and astounding architecture? Pr...
